The Little Riders
1860
Before becoming the rebel of the Impressionist movement, Édouard Manet spent hours in the Louvre copying the Old Masters, and this lively etching is a perfect example of his artistic homework! Created around 1860, 'Les petits cavaliers' captures a swaggering group of 17th-century figures—complete with plumed hats and dramatic cloaks—chatting and strutting across an open landscape. You can almost hear their boots crunching on the ground and their voices overlapping in animated conversation. This piece showcases the loose, energetic style he admired in Dutch masters like Frans Hals, a fascination that would eventually fuel his own revolutionary approach to modern art.
- Technique
- Etching